Beginner's Guide
Welcome to the Cities XL Beginner's Guide! Here you will find all information needed to help you understand the basic game concepts applicable when you start your first cities. I assume that people reading this are playing the game for the first time, so I will try to keep my explanations as simple as possible (though necessarily not that detailed). If you require more in-depth information about the game, you can find it in the numerous other articles in the Wiki. There are some general game-play concept articles that I would recommend: Transportation, Game economics , Resources and Citizens. You should check them out after you're finished with this guide. First I'd like to emphasize the benefit of going through the Tutorials, included in the game. They are by no means complete, but they will greatly help you to understand and visualize the basics, especially when combined with your acquaintance with this guide. Interface Basic concepts Cities XL is a City simulator, and all games of this genre aim at one thing - constructing a nice enough city for people to live in. So, your basic goal (besides building a nice-looking city) is to keep your citizens satisfied. And since you can't keep running your city and satisfying your citizens without money, making a profit for the city coffers is your second most important goal. However, there are some other concepts you need to know about, before starting your first city: 'Construction' Your basic job as a Mayor is to build stuff in your city. You can lay transportation networks, place buildings and zones for Residences, Commerce and Industry, and even construct MegaStructures! But note that the major part of the buildings you zone won't actually grow, unless you've provided them with the necessary incentive (that is good conditions) for them to come. 'Resources' These are the goods and services in the city. They are measured in units called Tokens. The good balance of resources allows your city economy to run smoothly, so keep that in check via the Resource Panel. Most of your resources can be traded (imported or exported) with other cities. The trade is one of Cities XL's most innovative concepts, allowing you to create a network of interconnected cities on your Planet! 'Omnicorp' This is a NPC trade entity, which has massive amounts of cash and resources, and is eager to trade with your cities, Anything you lack, you can buy from Omnicorp, and anything you produce in excess, you can sell to them. Beware of their cutthroat prices! 'Satisfaction' Your citizens want stuff, and they will only come and live in the city if you provide them what they want. This is called Satisfaction. Key components in Citizen satisfaction are Services, like Education and Security, so make sure to provide these. Businesses also want stuff - they won't come otherwise, or if they come they won´t be able to make a profit! In first place, they want workers which they will hire from your city population, in the second place they use certain resources for their activities, which they will automatically buy if there´s enough supply in the city. Normal mode This is the default mode of the game, and it is characterized by the fact that most buildings are locked (you can´t use them), until you reach certain population in the city. This prevents you from doing something so wrong that your city flounders rapidly. So, be patient and try to master each component of the game-play as your city grows slowly. The last buildings and tools will unlock around population of 500 000. 'Getting started' The first thing you will do after clicking the button ´Play´ in the Main menu (which will only happen hopefully after you've gone through all the Tutorials) is marvel at the sight of the Planet approaching out of the Cosmos. You will notice scores of gray dots on the Planet - these are all city slots, waiting for you to start constructing on them! On the right-hand s Expert mode |- | |} Category:Guide